Professional Reference Checking
It is the responsibility of the hiring authority to conduct professional reference checks on
the final candidates they are considering to hire. A search committee may also conduct
reference checks during the search process, but it is still recommended that the hiring
authority conduct their own reference checks before making the final decision. The time
it takes to conduct reference checks is nominal compared to the time, cost and
consequence of hiring the wrong person for the job.
An employer who fails to check references and hires a person with a history of physical
abuse of co-workers or hires a person who is a registered sex offender to work with or
around students can be charged with negligent hiring. The basic theory behind negligent
hiring is that employers have a duty to protect workers, customers (students), and visitors
from injury caused by such employees; this obligation exists even if the injury occurs miles
from the work site.
PROCESS
For ease of process, Appendix G provides an authorization form that should be completed
by the candidate(s). While the candidate is asked to provide the University with references,
candidates should be informed that reference checking may be extended to their current
and any or all of their previous employers, even though they may not be on their reference
list. (Please be sensitive to coordinating the checking of the current employer’s reference
with the candidate. We don’t want to jeopardize their current position.) If a candidate tells
you not to contact a specific person or employer, please respect their request. The
candidate is not required to provide this authorization, but checking references should be
considered a very important part of the selection process and the hiring authority should be
very cautious about hiring a new employee who will not provide adequate reference
checking authorization. All references should be relevant to the position sought. If a
person provided as a reference by the candidate does not have knowledge of the candidate’s
ability to perform the tasks of the vacant position, then contacting that reference is of little
use. The best references are, typically, former employers (supervisors/managers with direct
knowledge of the candidates work), former co-workers, and former educators of the
candidate.
INTERNAL CANDIDATES
Reference checks should also be done for internal candidates who do not work for you.
You do not need an authorization form from the employee since we are already the
employer. You should ask the same questions of the internal supervisor/manager as you
would for the external candidate.
DO’S AND DON’TS
•
Reference check questions should be directly related to the duties and performance
of the person’s job. Do not contact “character references” or references who have
not worked with the candidate.
•
While the employer has the right to check employment references, both the United
States and State of California Constitutions protect candidates and employees from
unreasonable intrusions by prospective employers into their private, non-job
related activities and status. (There are a few exemptions to this rule, for example,
law enforcement candidates.)
•
Questions related to protected class status or disability claims should be avoided.
The rules are similar to those rules used in the interview process.
•
For example, you should not ask about marital status, family status, residence,
disability (physical or mental), non-professional organizational activities, economic
status, arrest record, military service record, race, pregnancy status, child care
provisions, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation,
ethnic background, age, etc. (See attached guideline.)
•
Do not inquire if the candidate has ever filed a Federal EEOC and/or State
Department Fair Employment And Housing (DFEH) or Workers’ Compensation
complaint/claim. The filing of complaints/claims are considered a protected
activity.
•
If an employer starts to provide you information that is not legal or appropriate,
please make every attempt to stop the flow of this information. If you find out
information that you should not know, do not let it impact your decision-making.
Developing & Asking the Right Questions
Before making the first reference call, you should be prepared with a set of questions that
are related to the position and valuable in helping you make a decision. Your Human
Resources representative can assist you if you would like help in developing questions. At
the beginning of the conversation with the reference, it is often helpful for you to describe
the position that the candidate has applied for and describe what you are looking for in the
ideal candidate. This should assist the reference responder in framing their responses in a
more meaningful way for you. When calling a reference, introduce yourself, state that you
are checking the reference on (name), a candidate for (state the position and California State
University, Fresno) and you have the candidate’s permission and/or an authorization and
release to talk with the reference. If they want to see the signed authorization and release
form before responding, please make arrangements to fax or mail a copy to them. If they
refuse to provide a reference, ask them what their policy is on providing references for
current or past employees. Try to assess whether the issue is their blanket policy on
providing references or the fact that they will not provide a reference for this particular
employee (or former employee).
A Standard Approach
Questions regarding attitude, skills, experience and performance should be asked. For
example:
•
Did the candidate work under your supervision?
•
During what time period did you supervise the candidate?
•
Are you familiar with the candidate’s former job? If yes, please describe the
position the candidate held (or holds) in your organization. Review: a) duties,
reporting relationships, scope of responsibility, level of autonomy; b) how long
they were in the position and what other positions they held in the organization; c)
confirm dates of employment, job title, salary and dates in current or last position.
Always compare this information to what was provided on the
application/supplemental questionnaire and/or resume.
•
What were the candidate’s strongest skill areas?
•
Using a 1-5 scale, with 5 being high, how would you rate the candidate in the
following areas:
•
List specific knowledge, skills, abilities, or tasks that are pertinent to your position.
•
Please describe how the candidate interacted in the workplace with: subordinates,
peers, immediate supervisors and management (use each one that is appropriate for
your position).
•
Was the candidate a person whom you had to motivate or were they internally
motivated?
•
What aspects of candidate’s job did (he/she) do well? In what aspects of their job
did they require a higher level of supervision or seem to struggle with?
•
Describe the candidate’s quality and quantity of work.
•
Did the candidate understand, follow and respect workplace rules and
administrative processes (this could include dependability, attendance, punctuality,
etc.)?
•
Did the candidate demonstrate flexibility when appropriate?
•
Please describe the professional areas that the candidate either struggles with or
should continue to work on developing.
•
Was the candidate a “team player”?
•
California State University, Fresno is an organization that values diversity. How
has the candidate demonstrated his/her commitment to diversity in your
workplace? Please describe.
•
Based on the description of the position that the candidate has applied for and
reviewing their current or past job description, can you foresee any problems with
the candidate being able to perform the duties of the position for which they have
applied?
•
Would you re-hire the candidate if given the opportunity?
•
Is there anything else relevant to the candidate’s performance and attitude in your
workplace of which I should be aware?
•
Would you recommend the candidate for this position?
Supervisor/Manager Reference Questions:
• How long has the candidate been a supervisor/manager?
•
Please describe the number and title of the employees that the candidate supervised
directly.
•
Please describe the number of people indirectly supervised by the candidate
(number of people reporting through other supervisors to the candidate).
•
Did the candidate do the following: (Clarify as to whether they had the authority
and had actual experience in each of these areas.)
o Hiring
o Establishing job duties
o Recommending pay increases
o Evaluating
o Disciplining
o Firing
o Supervising/managing in an union environment
•
Describe the candidate’s supervisor/management/leadership style. (You should
clarify and evaluate if it was an effective style.)
You should use the same basic questions for each reference for all of the candidates. If, in
the course of responding to your questions, the reference refers or alludes to something not
covered that is not in the prohibited or protected area of questions, please pursue that line
of inquiry. Please note if you are only allowed to talk with the Personnel or Human
Resources office for the reference information, your questions should be modified
accordingly to fit into this situation. You may want to frame them around information
found in the Personnel file such as performance evaluations, exit interviews, etc.
What to do with the information
What do you do with the information you have gathered? If you received conflicting
references about a candidate, you may want to check further. Occasionally you may need
to “throw out” a reference because of suspicion or knowledge of bias or unfairness of the
reference provider. If you are satisfied that you have all the information to make a good
hiring decision, proceed with your decision.
Confidentiality
Finally, if you guarantee confidentiality to the reference provider, you must honor that
agreement. This includes inquiries made as to a candidate’s character or abilities during the
course of employment. Access to that information by the affected employee or candidate
can generally be restricted. If a candidate, an employee, the union, or any other person
other than those in your chain of command or Human Resources requests the reference
information, please contact Human Resources. Make sure that the information is stored
confidentially, securely and not in the official Personnel file.
All reference questions must be approved by your assigned Recruiter in advance.
TELEPHONE REFERENCE CONTACT FORM
Applicant’s Name: ___________________________
Date: __________________
Organization Contacted: _________________________________
Reference’s Name: _______________________________
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Summary Rating: Unacceptable
Acceptable
Exceptional
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thank you for taking my call. (Applicant’s name) is a finalist for the position of (job
title) at California State University, Fresno and has indicated that I may ask you for a
reference.
1. Describe your working relationship with the candidate, including the period in
which you were able to observe the candidate in a professional setting.
2. Please describe the position the candidate held (or holds) in your organization.
Review: a) duties, reporting relationships, scope of responsibility, level of
autonomy; b) how long they were in the position and what other positions they
held in the organization; c) confirm dates of employment, job title, salary and dates
in current or last position. Always compare this information to what was provided
on the application/supplemental questionnaire and/or resume.
3. What were the candidate’s strongest skill areas?
4. What aspects of candidate’s job did (he/she) do well? In what aspects of their job
did they require a higher level of support or seem to struggle with?
5. Please describe the professional areas that the candidate either struggles with or
should continue to work on developing.
6. California State University, Fresno is an organization that values diversity. How
has the candidate demonstrated his/her commitment to diversity in your
workplace?
7. Based on the description of the position that the candidate has applied for and
reviewing their current or past job description, can you foresee any problems with
the candidate being able to perform the duties of the position for which they have
applied?
8. Would you re-hire the candidate if given the opportunity? Would you recommend
the candidate for this position?
9. Is there anything else relevant to the candidate’s performance and attitude in your
workplace of which I should be aware?
Supervisor/Manager Reference Questions:
10. How long has the candidate been a supervisor/manager or in a leadership role?
11. Describe the candidate’s supervisor/management/leadership style. (You should
clarify and evaluate if it was an effective style.)
12. How well do you think the candidate would do in a collective bargaining
environment?